Playwriting - Part 9A - Editing - Reading Your Own Work

Once you have your play written (whether it is a full length play, a short play, or a skit), you need to read it. Hopefully while you've been working on the play, you've read parts back to yourself to see how they sound. However, some playwrights prefer to keep moving forward and write. It is important to read your play to yourself to see if you like how it sounds.

If you, as the playwright, don't like how your play sounds, you are never going to want others to read it and you aren't going to want to see it on stage. Make sure that you like how it sounds. If you are reading the play on your computer, you can easily make the changes that you want by changing words in it by typing immediately as you come across something that you don't like. If it is on paper, you'll want to mark changes you want to make with a pen or pencil.

It can be tempting to start putting stage directions in your play when you are reading and editing it. Resist the urge to do this so you can let directors make choices unless there is a movement that is definitely required to make your play make sense.

The thing about reading your own play is that you can do it many times. Most people tire of reading their own writing. Even if you happen to not tire of reading your own writing, there comes a point when it does need to be read by others. While this post has been extremely general, the next few posts will get into more detail about the editing process.

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Playwriting - Part 8D - Honing Skills Outside of Writing, Dramaturgy

While there are a few posts about "what a dramaturg does," those are overall posts for what a dramaturg does when a play has already been written. Playwrights have to be their own dramaturgs. Sometimes plays can be written from one's own perspective and they turn out fine. However, usually research into something needs to be done.

This will always depend on the play, of course. If a play can be written with just information that a person would be able to remember from their own life experiences and imagine, it is fine to write that play. However, eventually, when writing plays, new content will be needed. This does not mean that a lot of the play will have to be researched.

No matter the amount of research needed for a play, the playwright needs to be able to do the work of a dramaturg when research is necessary. It is true that sometimes this may only be called research. Things that may need to be research are terms used in certain professions or hobbies. Then, if a play is set in a certain time, research is needed for what things were like in that time. What were the slang words? What was popular? What did people do for fun? What things were popular? A play set in a certain year and/or a certain place needs to seem authentic. After all, the playwright usually isn't writing publicity for the play or finding countertext for the play. Yet, if these things are important for the play, maybe a playwright is doing them.

Some playwrights prefer to give more than "just the play" to readers. When that's the case, it is extremely important that they playwright does understand how to be his own dramaturg. What is the playwright including? Are there certain ways to publicize the play? Are there certain educational materials that should be distributed with the play? If so, the playwright needs to be in charge of at least starting to create these.

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Playwriting - Part 8C - Honing Skills Outside of Writing, People Watching

As a playwright, you have to be able to use your imagination. It is true that your characters will become real people to you. It is likely they will start talking you and telling you how the play is going to go. However, in order to have this happen, you do need a good imagination.

When eavesdropping, imagination is necessary if you are wanting to complete partial conversations that you hear. Another exercise that should be practiced is that of people watching. You don't need to be near enough to hear anybody when it comes to people watching. All you have to do is place yourself in an area where a lot of people are or where even just a couple of people are and watch them. Don't concern yourself with what is really happening.

Watch people and let your imagination make up stories of what is happening between people. Don't let your imagination run away with you so much that you become worried about what is happening, but imagine things that their physical actions might convey to others. Maybe you see a guy touch a girl on the small of her back. This could indicate a variety of different things that are happening. Here are just a few things.

• The guy is the girl's boyfriend. He is reaching over to be intimate.
• The guy and the girl are just friends, but a mosquito landed on her back and he is reaching over to try to swat the mosquito.
• The guy is reaching over to help the girl so she doesn't lose her balance on an uneven surface.

Find busy places like lines into concerts, lines in grocery store checkouts, and places where people gather to watch sports. There are probably many busy places that you can just sit and watch others. Find places where you will see couples or groups of three people interact. The places don't even have to be extremely busy is you are welcome to be where you are. If you are welcome to sit in an office and chat with a secretary at times and watch the people who come in and go out of the office, do that. If you are welcome to sit anywhere after a meeting is over where people are around, do that. Just be certain to watch people and to let your imagination decide on what's happening.

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Playwriting - Part 8B - Honing Skills Outside of Writing, Eavesdropping

Another element I've mentioned is listening to conversations that happen around you. Yes, I am talking about eavesdropping, but not in the way most dictionaries define it. It is being used in the second way that the Oxford English Dictionary definies it: To listen secretly to a conversation. Also, it is okay if you become involved in the conversation, so it doesn't have to stay eavesdropping.

This eavesdropping isn't spying on people and trying to hear private conversations that people are trying to keep private. This one is just privately listening to conversations. That means that you go out and you find a busy place where people will be discussing things that they don't mind others hearing.

Some people are more private than others. This is normal. Listen to the different things that you hear. If you want to have a notebook with you to jot down ideas from conversations, that is fine. If you'd rather just listen and remember things, that is also fine.

With this eavesdropping, it doesn't matter if you remember things completely correctly. It doesn't matter if you hear the whole conversation. You can let your imagination run wild with what you hear. It is okay to let your imagination fill in the rest of a conversation when you've only heard part of it. It is okay if you imagine a person saying something different than he said.

This type of eavesdropping isn't to try to hear people's secrets. It is to get ideas. The only reason it is eavesdropping is that you are privately listening to a conversation or more than one conversation. These conversations are loud enough for you to hear from where you are sitting.

Where are possible places you can eavesdrop? A great place is at a busy fast food restaurant. You can often sit at a table that is near the order counter. People often talk about many different things there and you can hear the different conversations. If you live in a place where there are parades or festivals, you can sit or stand among the crowds to hear conversations. If you like going out to bars, you can hear conversations there. If you are in school, listen to your classmates before class starts. If you are in college, you can find a busy place where students walk to and from class if you don't have class and sit in that area and listen to conversations as they pass by. Just the few snippets of sentence that you hear can often be some of the greatest content.

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Playwriting - Part 8A - Honing Skills Outside of Writing, Listening

One of the key points that has been mentioned over and over in creating dialogue is to listen to others. When you are actively listening to a partner or others you are in conversation with, there will be major differences than if you are just hearing what other people are saying.

Most people thinking listening simply means hearing, but it does not. You can easily hear sounds, but not understand what those sounds are. A person may be talking and you can say, "I hear you." That doesn't mean you are truly listening. Truly listening comes from actually paying attention to what is being said and concentrating on the words.

Listening is a full body activity. It is true that it only takes your ears to be able to hear sounds. However, in order to fully listen, your entire body will be engaged. When you are with another person, if you are listening to what they are saying, you will naturally lean in a little bit closer to them. You will look at that person, too.

When truly listening, it is likely that you will make small gestures like nodding your head in agreement. Your body language will let the other person know that you are truly listening.

Also, you won't interrupt this person, in general. There may be times interruptions happen in conversations. That's natural. However, you will be paying attention, so you won't be interrupting at strange times. The interruptions will come when they do seem natural, when you understand what is going to be said or at least the gist of what is going to be said or when the conversation turns into more playful banter.

By learning how to listen, you'll start listening to others better. When you start listening better, you will learn to pay attention to the small details of conversation.

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Playwriting - Part 7F - Creating Unique Dialogue, Using Industry Jargon

Another thing that can set characters apart with dialogue is that they may use "industry jargon" or "workplace jargon." Your characters may never appear in their workplace or with their co-workers and that's completely fine. However, a way you can set them apart is to let them use industry jargon if they have a certain type of job where certain phrases would be used.

When somebody is drunk, somebody that works or worked on a boat may say that they are "three sheets to the wind." A mechanic may say somebody that is drunk is "well oiled." A chef may say that a drunk person is "battered." Yet, for people not in those professions, they may have never heard those phrases. They would probably only use words like, "drunk," "blotto," and "sloshed." It is likely, though, that they may use other slang and regionalisms if those apply to the characters.

In general, people would say things like "I like your style," "I like your idea," or "I like your attitude." However, a person who works on a boat might say, "I like the cut of your jib." Somebody who runs a business office may say, "I like the way you think."

Think of people that you know. Think of where they work and the jargon that you hear them use. If it is okay for you to be in different workplaces for reasons, listen to how people in those workplaces talk. Pay attention to the little phrases and words that they use that you don't tend to hear other places. You can apply these to characters that have those jobs or if your characters are children of people who have those jobs, they may use the same words and phrases.

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Playwriting - Part 7E - Creating Unique Dialogue, Using Slang

In a way, this post is related to Finding Speech Patterns and to Using Regionalisms. Sometimes regionalisms may be referred to as slang. However, slang may easily change within local groups while regionalisms are fairly well known throughout a region, hence why they are called regionalisms.

Instead, slang are words used by certain groups. The words used may only be local to a group. They may span across a country or even the world, but only make sense to a group that understands them. When I was in high school, my local friends knew what I meant if I said I had QB practice. That is because they knew me and knew my interests and activities. It meant that I had Quiz Bowl practice. However, I once type that I had QB practice, not thinking about how others would interpret that. I had somebody asked me if I had Quarterback practice.

I looked up some slang because I wanted to find some slang that I probably didn't know. It was easy. Within the first post I viewed, I found slang that I didn't know. I saw GOAT. I'm not really into sports in any fashion. I'll watch some at times, but they aren't my thing. Apparently GOAT means Greatest of All Time, referring to an athlete when people think they are the greatest "something" of all time. So, GOAT is slang that is familiar among people who are sports fans.

Of course, if there is a sports fan in a group of more people that are not sports fans, then that person might bring GOAT into that group. Sometimes slang can be between just a few, or even two, people. My sister and a few of my Facebook friends know what I mean when I put that I am going to flosh my teeth. The term means to "floss and brush" my teeth. It came about from a slip of the tongue. I was going to say, "floss and brush," but it came out "flosh." That's also some slang.

To make dialogue more authentic in your play, use slang if it is appropriate for the characters. Don't force your characters to explain the slang. Let the context clues explain the slang unless explaining it is actually part of the conversation that happens naturally in the play.

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Playwriting - Part 7D - Creating Unique Dialogue, Using Regionalisms

In a way, this post is similar to Finding Speech Patterns. Another key element of speech is regionalisms. If all of your characters are from one region, they will probably all know the regionalisms that are used there. However, if your characters are from different regions, they are probably going to use different regionalisms.

Of course, with the Internet, some of this has calmed down to where it isn't a huge deal about knowing different slang, but much of it still exists. Then, if your play is set in a time before people had consistant access to the Internet, this will be extremely important.

The main thing that people probably know is the coke/soda/pop debate. I know that when I was in high school and went to a national youth gathering for the church of which I was a member, that it was a major conversation point. "What do you call it?" If people were from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Albama, or Georgia, then tended to call "it" Coke. If people were from Illinois or Indiana, they tended to call "it" Pop. If people were from Michigan or Wisconsin, they tended to call "it" soda. Sometimes some of the terms got mixed up. This could depend on where people's parents grew up and if they moved to another state.

Apparently, in Massachusetts, a liquor store is called a "packy." However, down in Southwest Louisiana, a liquor store is just a liquor store. As somebody who had parents that didn't grow up in Louisiana, but then moved the family there, I didn't understand many Louisiana phrases at first and there are some that I've still had to learn as an adult. I didn't understand what it was to "waste a drink," "make groceries," or "save the dishes." I know what they all mean now, but I didn't and it's likely that people who don't live in Louisiana don't know what those phrases mean, either.

However, when using regionalisms in your play, don't go to lengths to explain them unless that is a necessary part of the dialogue for your characters. If they aren't understood, researching them is the dramaturg's job.

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Playwriting - Part 7C - Creating Unique Dialogue, Using Swear Words

Warning: This post will contain swear words.

People use all different types of expressions in their speech. Some people don't like swear words at all and try to avoid them all the time. Some people don't mind them, in general, but they try not to use them, especially in the company of others. Then, there are those people who use them all the time.

That doesn't mean that you have to include swear words in plays that you write. Most plays probably don't contain swear words. However, in general, when swear words are used, they should be used sparingly. The reason for this is that then when they are used, they make more of an impact. There is a reason for the swear words to be there. They may be because of anger or they may be celebratory. They may just because a character talks that way.

However, if one character talks that way, you probably don't want all your characters to swear. Maybe two might, depending on how many characters are in your play. However, you don't want your play laced with swear words.

If you are going to include swear words, listen to how people use them. If you use them, pay attention to how and when you use them. It is important to sound natural. Being creative is a good thing, but don't try to be so creative that it doesn't sound natural. If you find somebody that uses swear words in a creative way and you can fit that into your character's speech, do that.

I know of poeple that use the word "fuckin'" to emphasize that something is great or pretty. It's not used in an offensive way. A character might say, "Those are some fuckin' awesome shoes." I know of people who yell "Fuck!" when something extremely scary happens. I once slid off the road while driving in the dark and hitting some gravel. A friend that was with me, yelled, "Fuck!" It was completely understandable. I saw a play where many of the characters spoke Spanish. One of them was extremely foul mouthed. In the play he said, "Como fuckin' esta?"

If you use swear words or even fake swear words, you want to make sure that they way they are used sounds natural. While you may not agree with everything in this post, Taylor Dennis's article on the Grammar of Swearing can help you to make swearing sound more natural. Don't force yourself to include swear words in your play, but if it seems like they should be there, write them. Of course, if you have to write a play for a class in high school, if you do use swear words at first, you should probably either remove them or replace them with fake swear words. However, that is up to each person.

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Playwriting - Part 7B - Creating Unique Dialogue, Sounding Natural by Including Cutting Off of Speech

Listen to conversations that people have. You don't have to listen in to conversations closely. Position yourself in a busy area where you easily overhear conversations. Make it so it is a place where it is appropriate that you might hear others talking.

Maybe you go to school, so you can sit in a place that has lots of students pass by between class times. Maybe you like to eat out. Position yourself in a busy restaurant. A fast food place is most likely the best place for this. People stand in lines and talk. Sometimes others join in the conversation if it is a topic in which they have knowledge. (I changed that sentence right now because I didn't want to end the sentence with "if it is a topic they know about," even though that is fine as vernacular - the way people speak, and it is okay in a casual blog post).

Listen to how many times people cut others off and how it is done. It's not in a rude way that people do that. They do it because they understand. It's not wanting people to stop talking. It's understanding them. This is especially true of close friends. They don't need to hear everything because they will understand.

Don't be afraid to incorporate this into your play. Let characters cut each other off. It happens. When this happens in a play, put a dash at the end of the line where the character that gets cut off is speaking. Then put a dash before the speech of the character that does the interrupting.

Sometimes people suddenly cut themselves off when speaking. If this happens, still use the dash at the end of the speech, but you don't need to put a dash before the next bit of speech. People also trail off in their thoughts when they can't think of things. When this is done, don't use a dash. Instead, use an ellipsis. That is a series of three evenly spaced dots.

Listen to other people's conversations. Listen to your own conversations. Figure out where people cut others off, where they cut themselves off, and where they trail off. Experiment with these styles in your writing. The more you listen and the more you write natural dialogue, the more natural your written dialog will sound.

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Playwriting - Part 7A - Creating Unique Dialogue, Finding Speech Patterns

A habit that all playwrights fall into at times is making all the characters have the same pattern of speech. They all might sound like the playwright or they all might sound like somebody the playwright knows. It is natural to write what you know, so it is natural to write dialogue like you hear it or think about it.

However, a play doesn't work when all the characters talk the same way. Characters have to be different in vocal and conversational styles. One way to start to figure this is out is to listen to different people talk. Find the differences in their speech. Even use people who have different conditions to help create your characters.

A way to get into this is to keep notes for yourself about the specific things you hear from certain people. For example, I know that I often end my sentences by saying, "Ya, know?" However, when I say that, I don't catch it. I don't remember saying it, either. I will only truly hear it if it has been recorded and played back. It's not something that I catch, but others do. However, I could assign that to one of the characters in my play.

My sister has Asperger's and one of the things she tends to do is constantly repeat an answer or a phrase even when somebody has never asked her something. She seems to hear it like somebody has asked her. Or, she'll repeat the phrase or the general idea about three or four times. Even if a character doesn't have Asperger's or a similar condition, I can still use that style of speech for a character.

When I was in high school, I had a friend that would come into a room and say, "Eep!" as a greeting. I've had teachers that greet students by saying, "Howdy." I've had teachers that always complained about being at school to teach. I could use the greetings with characters. I could use the complaining with characters.

My list would probably look something like this:

• Ending sentence with "Ya, know?"
• Repeating answers or phrases three or four times for no reason
• Greeting a room of people by saying "Eep!"
• Greeting students by saying, "Howdy."
• Always complaining about being at work/the situation

Your characters are human, so make them human. Give them little quirks and remember that creative writing is not the same as formal writing.

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Playwriting - Part 6K - The Working Process, Exposing the Subtext or "Shut Up"

A passion of mine besides theatre is Youth Ministry. One time I was in a workshop for Youth Ministry and musical performers. One of the key lessons in the workshop was, "Shut up." This seemed strange to me at first until it was explained.

The idea was that once people in general know a popular part of a song, usually the chorus, to take a break from singing it and instead tell the audiene to sing. They know this, therefore the band doesn't have to sing the chorus.

The band that was there was a small two person band, but popular among the crowd at the workshop. They had them sing their song and then show this by having them stop before the chorus while they vamped on their instruments and then the participants were told, "You sing it."

The band stopped singing and the majority of the people sang, "Nobody calls her baby. Nobody says I love you so. Nobody calls her baby. Oh, I guess she'll never know." The band didn't need to sing any of the lyrics for that chorus. There were enough people that knew them.

When you write, let the dialogue expose the subtext. Make your characters shut up. Perhaps you have a character where something like this happens. I'll call this character Bill and just make up names for the other characters. There's no significance in this blog post to the names of these characters.

(Bill and Mary have a huge argument about how to go about recruiting team members for their baseball team and Bill heads home.)

Bill: What a horrible day.

(Bill heads over to the piano and starts to play "Broken Wings." His sister comes out into the living room and listens to him play. After he is finished playing, they go to bed.)

There might be another time when Bill has just been fired from his job and he goes and plays "Broken Wings" on the piano and the same type of thing happens.

From simply reading that example, the subtext has already been shown. However, when beginning writing, it is tempting to put something like this afterwards. Let's call Bill's sister, Sally.

(His sister comes into the living room and listens to him play.)

Sally: Why do you always come play "Broken Wings?"
Bill: I've had a bad time. I need to feel like I can escape.
Sally: And that song makes it feel like you can escape?
Bill: Yes.

The second part isn't needed. We can already figure out that playing "Broken Wings" on the piano helps Bill to feel like he can escape from the bad situations and the bad feelings brought on by what happened to him in the world.

The subtext is exposed simply by Bill saying that it was a horrible day and then going to play "Broken Wings" on the piano, especially if it happens more than once in the play. You can make all your characters shut up because commentary on why Bill does this isn't needed. The subtext is there.

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Playwriting - Part 6J - The Working Process, Specific is General

This entry, in a way, goes along with the last entry. The desire for a large group of people to relate to a play is understandable. When people start writing plays, they often try to make situations seem extremely general without tackling specific details. They may only refer to troubles or loves or hobbies.

Of course, everybody has t hose things and that makes it obvious why playwrights, early on, may try to be general. However, when trying to be general, that doesn't allow for details in a play and things are no longer clear. The play suddenly has no substance and often nowhere to go.

Instead of being general, be specific. If a character's hobby is collecting stamps and the hobby is an important part of the play, go into detail about collecting the stamps and about finding the certain stamps wanted. People are going to relate that hobby to hobbies of their own. If a character is dealing with kidney disease, be specific about the struggles of dealing with disease. The audience will relate that disease to times they have been sick or to reasons they are sick if they've had or have those things and the struggles they have.

When you are specific in a play, you give the information that is needed so the audience can understand the play. Then, because the audience understands the play, they can relate the different concepts in the play in their lives.

If you feel that the audience cannot relate the play to concepts in their lives, you have forgotten to be writing for the smartest people that you can imagine. Even if the audience doesn't relate to the concepts, you've given them important details for your play. They need to understand the play and not feel lost in it.

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Playwriting - Part 6I - The Working Process, Less Is More

It is tempting to fill a play full of unnecessary exposition. As writers, we start thinking about things and wondering if the audience will understand. We ask if there is enough information and we think that there is, but then we start doubting ourselves. When we start to doubt ourselves, then we start trying to cram more information into the play that isn't really needed.

We might have the characters start talking to each other about things they already know in these situations. Of course, this has all probably come out somewhere in the play. However, we become overly concerned that the information hasn't been given to the audiene in any way.

Rather than worrying if an audience understands everything in the play, write it as if you are writing for a group of extremely smart people who can figure things out easily from context clues. Don't concern yourself with the others who you think will not understand. It is likely that what you are writing will be understood.

So, in a play, in general, "less is more." Much of the exposition and content can be gleaned through the natural dialogue of the characters. Sometimes it is something that is quickly written in as information for your set or stage directions that the audience will see in the performance. You don't need to pack in more information.

You can write the play and then have a table read with people. The readers can help you know if they understand things in the play. They can let you know what needs more exposition. Worry first about writing the play with natural sounding dialogue. Only be concerned about adding more exposition if readers think it is needed once they read it. Keep that as a part of editing and rewriting.

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Playwriting - Part 6H - The Working Process, Dialogue as Action

When anybody starts writing, it is usually in a narrative format. We are introduced to this format from a young age because we are told stories. They often begin with, "Once upon a time" and end with "happily ever after." Even if they don't start or end that way, they are still usually in a narrative format.

Narrative formats are great. Stories and novels read extremely well in a narrative format. However, the narrative format doesn't work for plays. If plays were in a narrative format, nothing would be happening on stage or only action would be happening on stage with very little dialogue. Most likely, things would not be understood by the majority of the audience.

It is important to make sure that your dialogue can be used as action. What does the dialogue say that would make an actor want to move or a director think the actor should move? You don't need to be heavy on stage directions. Include the ones that are important, but let directors and actors make choices in your play. If you are too heavy on stage directions, the play becomes difficult to perform and also does not allow variations from one performance to another.

Specify what is extremely important in the play and what is extremely important to you. However, let your dialog speak to others. Let the others make decisions based on what you write. A good playwright will be able to use dialogue to convey action and not have to be overly concerned with stage directions.

Do you have places in your play that are heavy on stage directions? Is there a better way to make these things happen with dialogue or are they better as stage directions? You are the one that has to decide at first. Then let others see your play. They can help you as well.

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For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf is in Lake Charles for Three More Performances

If you haven't caught a performance already, you need to view one of the upcoming three performances of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. This play is a choreopoem that was written by Ntozake Shange and was first performed in 1976. Despite now being over 40 years old, the issues in the play are still relevant today.

A few of the issues dealt with in the play are abandonment, domestic violence, and rape. While the issues are ones that females of color face every day, it doesn't mean that those who are white won't be able to identify with the play. These issues can affect every person and it needs to be known that they are still out there. It is sad that the same issues still exist over 40 years after this play was first performed. However, this choreopoem does exactly what theatre should do. It addresses these issues and makes people think about them.

This play is expertly directed by Joy Pace. The choreography was done by the talented Tony James. The lighting by Michelle Brunson. All of the cast is extremely talented and graceful in their movements. However, Bianca Augustine (Lady in Brown), Shereka Jackson (Lady in Red), and Alana Jennings (Lady in Blue) are worth keeping an eye on for extreme talent. Yet, the play would go nowhere without Hannah Barker (Lady in Orange), Sierra Demouchet (Lady in Yellow), Lauren Edwards (Lady in Green), and Tasha Guidry (Lady in Purple). Also, important to the crew are Dillon Royer (Spotlight Operator), Natalie Sell (Stage Manager and Sound Operator), and Romm Silwal (Light Operator).

The last three performances are in the Benjamin Mount Theatre at Central School located at 809 Kirby St. in Lake Charles, LA. They can be seen on Friday, April 6 at 8:30pm, Saturday, April 7 at 7pm, and Sunday, April 8 at 3pm. Tickets can be bought at the event's EventBrite page.

Playwriting - Part 6G - The Working Process, The Style of Your Play

lays have two styles, representational and presentational. It is important to know that it is likely that no play is fully representational and no play is fully presentational. However, plays will fall mainly into one of the categories.

In a representational play, the play aims to represent real life. The characters may not be real, but they will most likely seem realistic. The setting should also seem realistic, or at least realistic for what it is supposed to be. Each actor usually plays only one character. If an actor happens to play more than one character, they are not found in the same scene and they are probably found in scenes that are not back to back. It is certain that the actor will have a different costume and the actor will probably make different vocal choices.

In representational plays, the fourth wall is also not broken. The characters go about their own business on the stage and ignore the audience. It is as if the audience is not there for the characters, even if the actors see the audience and are trying to elicit a response from them through their acting.

Some plays that are probably at least close to fully representational are The Miracle Worker, The Producers, and Pizza Man.

However, representational did not come about until the 20th century. While there will be representational plays, it is likely that you will find more presentational plays. A presentational play acknowledges that it is still part of theatre. The audience is going to be addressed. Shakespearean plays are considered presentational plays. If you think about it, Romeo and Juliet opens with a prologue that addresses the audience. Hamlet has a soliloquy, and while some poeple may talk to themselves, it is unlikely that it is done in this style. Hamlet is most likely saying these things in order to address the audience, even though he is not directly addressing them. It reminds the audience that it is theatre.

Any play that has a narrator is presentational in nature. The Glass Menagerie is a presentational play. If you saw The Teenager Project: Mythbusting Adolesence in Lake Charles, LA, that is a play that is mainly presentational. The characters address the audience. The actors play more than one character. This is done by different vocalizations and physical choices. Costumes may be changed by quickly adding or removing a piece of clothing or just decoration.

So, know what type of play your play mainly is once you get the main part of it written. It will help you to understand your own play. Remember, though, don't try to force it to be purely one style. It is likely going to be a mix of both styles and that will most likely feel the most natural.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

Playwriting - Part 6F - The Working Process, Keeping the Audience Engaged

When it comes to writing plays, you want to keep the audience engaged. You don't want them to become bored and stop watching the play. You also don't want them to jump to the conclusion of the end of a play.

The idea of keeping a play moving has been compared to that of "carrot dangling." It is as if a driver of a cart full of vegetables is dangling a carrot in front of a horse's nose in order to get the horse to pull the wagon full of vegetables.

The driver is the playwright. The driver controls all of the action just like the playwright controls all of the action in the play. The carrot is the play in performance. It is what is being seen at that very moment. The view changes over time, but it is what is being seen. The horse is the audience. The horse sees the carrot in front of its eyes just like the audience sees the play. The wagon of vegetables is the play's content and ideas.

If the carrot is removed, the horse stops moving. This would be like the play suddenly ending with no reason for it to end. If the horse reaches the carrot, then it eats the carrot. This is like the entire audience figuring out how the play goes and the meaning in it. The horse has to follow the carrot until it gets to the final destination. By then, it will be allowed to eat all of the vegetables. This is akin to the audience seeing the entire play and then being able to think about it and process their ideas and feelings.

The question is how to keep an audience engaged. In order to do that, you have to keep them wondering what comes next. There are a few different ways to do this. You can build conflict or create expectation. You can evoke emotion that requires some type of closure. There are other ways, too. If you aren't sure about your play, read it and think of the image of the carrot, horse, driver, and wagon full of vegetables. Try to put the elements of your play to the image where you need it and figure out what is missing at a moment that your play doesn't feel correct.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

Playwriting - Part 6E - The Working Process, Using Repetition

Writers are often told to keep things concise and not use repetition. Of course this is true in professional and academic writing. However, it can cross over into the creative writing. We get caught up in not repeating things.

Yet, if we listen to conversations, even our own, it is natural to repeat things. We repeat things for different reasons. Sometimes it is because we forgot we already something. Sometimes it for emphasis to express that a feeling is strong (how many times does somebody "really, really, really like another person" or "really, really, really hate" something? Sometimes it is because a person is just that angry and needs to vent and a word or a phrase helps them to do that. There are other reasons, too.

This repetition doesn't have to be extremely literary in cases like people study Shakespeare's repetition, whichis not a word or a phrase repeated over and over again immediately afterwards. Rather, it is more like a theme for the play or for a character in the play. This repetition is the one that happens in conversation all the time.

What if a character is extremely impatient about something that is supposed to happen? Maybe it is a couple of friends waiting for the bus and the second friend is in a hurry. You could have the first scenario:

Friend 2: I really need to get to the grocer store so my dad can eat.
Friend 1: The bus will come soon.
Friend 2: Soon? When's soon?
Friend 1: Soon.
Friend 2: When? Friend 1: As soon as it gets here.
(This bus arrives)

Or, it could be this: Friend 2: I really need to get to the grocer store so my dad can eat.
Friend 1: The bus will come soon.
Friend 2: Soon? When's soon?
Friend 1: Soon.
Friend 2: When? When? When? When?
(The bus arrives)

Which one seems more natural? In my opinion, the first seems like forced dialogue while the second seems natural. Don't be afraid to use repetition. If it makes sense to you, use it.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

Playwriting - Part 6D - The Working Process, Not Being Afraid of Pauses

As artists, we are often afraid of using pauses. This can be especially true for playwrights because we don't want to keep the audience waiting. We want them to be satisfied.

However, having no spaces is far from realistic. Pay attention the next time you are having a conversation. How many times do you or your conversation partner pause while talking? What effect do these pauses have?

Of course, there can be some pauses that are extremely awkward, but in general, pauses are made when people are thinking. We have to think about what we are going to say next either in response to what somebody else said or what we are going to continue saying. If there are no pauses in a play, it doesn't seem realistic.

Of course, a director can tell actors to pause at certain points in the dialogue as long as the dialogue and directions in the play are being followed. However, as playwrights, we also have the right to tell directors and actors where pauses should happen. We don't have to constantly put pauses in our speaking directions, but there can be places where they are extremely effective.

What if a character said the following? Read it exactly as it is.

Character: He stared at me as if I had three heads, as if I had toilet paper stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

What if it were the following way instead?

Character: He stared at me as if I had three heads . . .

(About five second pause)

Character: as if I had toilet paper stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

Which one is more effective?

If you don't like giving a specific time for pausing, you can insert the stage directions, "(pause for dramatic effect)." Remember, pauses can be your friend. They work.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.